Est Parva Mundi
by Drime
Summary: The bombs destroyed the world over century ago, leaving nothing but wasteland and very little hope. My take on how the mercs would interact with this environment. :Not related to a particular Fallout game. Uses real names and not classes. Typical violence for both games.
1. Chapter 1

William/Billy= Scout

Billy rushes to his mother, helping her fill a bag with essential supplies. Hearing gunshots getting closer to the shack, he decides that they have enough and throws the duffle bag over his shoulder. Then he grabs his mother bridal style and rushes out. Exiting the families camp through the back entrance, he can hear the yells of his seven older brothers mixing with those of the invading raiders, their rapid gunshots echoing off the walls. His older brothers were fighting and losing to a gang that had gotten sick of their existence as scavengers. Billy would have gladly run around with them and shoot the cr*p out of the intruders, but he was the youngest and fastest, and sohe was trusted with the job of getting their mom out safely. As he left the camp, he heard his third oldest brother running up to him. He shoves a 10mm pistol into their ma's hands and puts a baseball bat in the duffle bag. Gently he pats the top of Billy's cap, then turns back and runs to the fight yelling over his shoulder

"Run Billy! Keep ma safe!"

The rest of his brothers who were alive, but almost were close to dying, sent out their family's signature yowl, one that was always used when fighting. With this send off, Billy let his feet fly, focusing only on holding up his mom and running. The woman is aiming the pistol over his shoulder, shooting those that tried to follow, but soon this action is unneeded. They were too far off. That's when the reality of the situation struck his mom and the crying began. Billy listens to his mom sob into his orange hoodie as he ran, his heart breaking at the thought of his most certainly dead brothers and his strong mother breaking down.

A few hours after initially running, Billy puts his mom down and collapses against a tree. She had fallen asleep a while ago and he loathed the idea of waking her now. His legs hurt, aching half as painfully as his heart. His mom had already cried herself dry, but he had yet to let any free. His brothers, the ones who had mercilessly teased him, had taught him how to find the most valuable prices of scrap, the ones who watched his back as he had theirs, were gone. All gone. With the amount of raiders rushing in, there is no chance that they survived.

Curling tightly into a ball, the young runner hides his face and its tears in his knees. He had not cried earlier, because he wanted to provide his mother with a stable rock for her raging emotions, but now he could express them freely. Though drained, he stayed conscious and sat back up after his heavy tears had come out. He has to make sure no one attacks them from the shadows that dance around in the moonlight.

Searching for a new safe place for his mother and him to settle proved to be a difficult task, especially with such emotional trauma burning so near. Neither wanted to live inside a settlement, too used to being left on their own. But without the numbers, the area selected would have to have very few enemies roaming through. Neither Billy nor his mom were scared of a fight; they just had enough experience to know two people could not fight off everything. They ended up moving from settlement to settlement, trading scrap for caps that were then used for supplies and lodgings. Billy never liked sticking around too long, often wary of the glances men would give his ma.

Wandering into the inn of the settlement they had been staying in for the past few days, Billy tiredly sits down at the bar. While scouting out possible living areas, he had been gathering valuable items to trade, both activities taking him over a large expanse of land and had left him exhausted. After returning to town and presenting the items to his ma, she insisted that he stay with her and learn how to haggle with the shopkeeper of the general store. He left her to sell what they had not sold to the more general at more specialized shops. Billy orders the least alcoholic drink at the inn, knowing how disapproving his ma was of her youngest getting alcohol into his system, especially now. And he tried to respect his ma's wishes. Listening quietly to those around him, an odd action occurring only due to his tiredness, he catches the beginning of a story with some interesting information.

"Some crazy raiders thought they were man enough to take on Old Dell."

"Well that's good news for us, eh? The robots destroy 'em?"

"Ah h**l yeah. They haven't come back, if that's any indication."

The second man speaks up again with an ever widening grin.

"No body with any function left in their brains is going to go ten mile of that place."

"Yep!"

Billy decides he wants to more information, figuring knowing a greater amount would not hurt. Breaking into the conversation, he asks his question.

"Where's this Dell live?"

The two bar buddies look at the teen dressed in a tattered, dirt stained, orange hoodie,with the left arm fraying badly, taking in his appearance, noting the worn duffle bag hanging on his shoulder with its extra pockets on the strap. Deciding that spreading the local gossip to a new comer would be enjoyable, they decide to do so with matching grins.

"Old Dell lives out west of town in an area full of trees about a day's walk from here. Nobody travels near there, you see, 'cause he fixes up robots to patrol a wide area around his house. Till about ten miles out nobody goes into that territory, even bears and deathclaws avoid it. His machines a freakin' deadly."

The second man breaks in.

"Nobody ever comes back from visiting him. Sure, he'll come to town once in a blue moon, but otherwise no one sees him and lives."

Billy hums with interest at the information flung at him, thinking it over. The first man speaks up, interrupting Billy's thoughts.

"Thinking of heading out there?"

Flashing a buck tooth grin, Billy nods his head.

"Yeah I am. Sounds like fun."

Both stare at him, snorting. The second speaker, makes his option of the matter known.

"Good luck with that, kid."

"I'm not a kid, man."

With another snort, the two men each give the teen a pat on the back.

"Sure you're not."

Billy huffs at the remark, refuting it again and getting a similar response. Seeming to decide that Billy was an amiable companion, the two men drag him into other conversations about the area. Billy gains a greater knowledge of the personal business of the town than really is necessary for someone not planning to live there permanently. Privately, he plans his excursion to investigate "Old Dell" the next day. Upon seeing his mother return to the inn and enter their joint room, he excuses himself from the two bar buddies and goes to join her. Waiting up for his ma to return had been one of the main reasons he had stayed in the bar area of the inn. He always did this when they stayed in a town together; he wanted to see her safe before he went to bed, a habit created from the loss of his brothers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Boston accents are hard. Sorry the chapters keep glitch it out.**

After telling his ma which direction he decided to travel for the next day or so, Billy runs off. He crosses the land much quicker than the average time of other people. He arrives at the forested area the bar buddies had been discussing in half the time they claimed it would normally take. Billy slows down as he enters the forest, he slows down, not wanting to run face first into a deadly robot. He scouts out the area, eventually coming across a yellow sign nailed to a tree.

Using his limited reading ability he had gained through pouring over comic books, the runner is able to figure out that it says, "Warning" in it large black lettering. The figure of a sentry bot is painted underneath. Opting to not cross beyond the the sign, Billy moves on. Jogging parallel to it he stumbles across another sign with a similar message. Traveling through the woods, the teen figures that the signs form a perimeter around a rectangle of land that took him a large part of the rest of the day to travel around. As he does this, he notes that there are no groups of raiders or any large animals or evidence of either, even though the forest offered some great set up locations. A few times he spots robots rolling through the trees, but, while hiding from them, he observed that they never went beyond the border that seemed to be made by the signs. Knowing that there is no chance of him returning to town before nightfall, the teen climbs a sturdy tree, getting up to the highest point where the limbs could still support his weight. He then settles for the night, figuring it is as safe a place as anywhere to sleep.

Wind blasts against his face as he sprints to the old warehouse. He needs to reach it before the rest of his brothers, not wanting to get the worst of the scavenged material, like normal. Billy has been working on his speed for weeks, wanting to get to locations before the rest of his siblings. But it seems today just is not the day for it. The third eldest of their scruffy crew, David, looks at him with a hint of pity in his eyes. Well, Billy did not want his pity, he wanted to beat them to the scrap.

"Ya know, I could help ya get quicker if ya like."

The words come from David, a bit of a whisper. The older brother never sought to embarrass Billy, unlike most of the rest. The offer was genuine, and Billy accepted it.

David smiles at his acceptance, promising him his cap if Billy was able to beat him in a fair race to the scrap.

"I'm going to beat ya, right into da dirt!"

"Dats da spirit! Don't ya give up little bruddah. Life is tough, ya just gotta be tougher."

Billy wakes with a gasp, a tear sliding down his face from the vivid dream memory of his brother. His nerves were shot and he is having trouble focusing on where he is. Almost falling off the branch did not help matters. After stabilising himself on the branch, Billy takes all the despair from losing his brothers that is bubbling up and pushes it down like he normally does. Crying over dead people does not help in keeping you from joining them. At least that's the motto he had resided in so as to excuse himself from the heartbreak. He gently touches the brown cap he had won, assuring himself it is still there. It is, just as it had been since he won teen pulls out a small box of prewar Dandy Boy Apples to consume for breakfast. Stomach full and feelings tucked away, he shoves the trash into his duffle bag. He climbs down the tree. Choosing to see how far out from "Old Dell's" place he could get without running across signs of hostiles, Billy begins to move around the area.

After a few hours of looking the area over, he found the perfect sweet spot; close enough to not have enemies roaming in due to the threat, but far enough to have a head start if the robots crossed the boundaries. He marks the spot by placing a stick on the ground. Then he moves around in the immediate location, dragging scrap material to his chosen spot, erecting a small shack that mostly relied on the trees to provide the base dependant structure. It would need some more work before he would be satisfied enough to bring his ma, but it is enough of a start. For now, his anxiety over leaving his ma alone in town is poking at his gut angrily.

Going back and forth between the town and his shack that he is working on for a few days, brought a dent in their income. But Billy's ma seems pleased with the idea of living on their own again even with the danger of robots nearby. Having set up two beds from cloth and a building wide enough to house the two of them, Billy decides that it is time to bring his mother to the house. They travel at her typical speed, taking almost a day to get to the location. She smiles upon catching sight of the shack amongst the trees. Billy bounces beside her, nervously twitching his fingers.

"Watcha dink ma?"

"It's perfect William."

Billy blushes a little at his full name and the praise, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ah ma, ya know I don't like to be called dat."

She pats his face and enters the shack, inspecting it. Finding it suitable, she gestures for the teen to put their supplies down. After sorting it into preferred places, they settle in for the night. Cutting into the slight haze of presleep, Billy's ma speaks.

"Is dis place safe?"

"Yes. I mean I already told ya bout da limited danger of da robots compared to da safety their threat provides and you agreed it was a good idea.

"I did, didn't I. G'night William."

"Night ma."


	3. Chapter 3

Though keeping track of the dates could be difficult, Billy guessed that they had been living in the shack for little over a month and a half with no major incidents. He still traverses the land nearby, gathering items that had been left from the prewar world and others who left things after their death, and bringing them back to the shack. His mother helped him organize the items based on value and usefulness, going with him every five days into town with Billy to sell them.

While heading out one morning to start his search for scrap, Billy heard a loud clanging and a mess of language being yelled. Curiosity burned his carefulness away, pulling him to investigate. Ducking through the trees, he moves closer and closer to the territory full of dangerous robots. Seeing movement, the runner crouched down, glancing around a tree. Spotting a sentry bot and a man who appeared to be working on it. Billy bites his tongue to keep the enormous amount of questions inside.

'Is this "Old Dell"? Kinda short for a guy with tons of deadly robots. What's he doing way out here?'

Listening to the man mumble to himself, Billy is able to piece together the situation. The sentry boy had broken down and Dell is despairing over his lack of proper parts for the job. Apparently, he needed gears and copper to finish the job. Thinking over this new information, Billy begins to privately stress. If Dell's robots stopped working, then the protection brought his ma and him by their existence disappeared. Resolving to keep an eye out while scavenging around, Billy sneaks away.

The teen finds some gears while shifting through a few toys and dismantled cars in a nearby abandoned group of town buildings. He visits town, buying copper, food supplies, and a few bright pieces of cloth. Billy crosses the waste land, coming back to the forested area right as night starts falling. Ducking through the woods, Billy returns to where the sentry bot is sittin. A quick glance tells him that no one else is there and the robot is still non operational. Putting the copper and gears inside one of the pieces of bright cloth, the runner places the whole bundle on the shoulder of the sentry bot. Bolting away before anything can happen, Billy finds his way back to the shack in the quickly darkening forest.

Sometimes, when his mechanical contraptions broke, Dell wondered if all the work he put into them is worth it. Most certainly they defended his home well and helped his survival in other ways, but to what end is this continued existence worth? Of course he pushes the thoughts away, gathering to fix the machines than to reflect on the overarching meaning of existence. Walking out to the sentry bot that he had been working on the previous day to bring it back closer to his home, brought a bit of a shock. Someone had placed a bright cloth bundle with items he needed for repairing on the shoulder of the robot.

Why would anyone do that? Who would do that? Checking the items over for tampering, Dell finds that they are fine to use. He fixes the machine, using the items. Turning o the robot, he allows it to return to return to its normal function of patrolling. Still wondering where the parts had come from, Dell keeps the bright cloth.

Billy decides that to insure the continued protection provided by the presence of the robots, "Old Dell" would need parts. So he drops of things he feels are useful , that are not too valuable not to sell, every couple of days. Screws, rubber, copper, wiring, gears and oil all find their way to a drop off point that Billy set up under a tree with a bright cloth pinned up on it slightly further into the patrolled borders. He had to be careful and quick, so that he is not caught by one of the robots. Perhaps he not only did this to provide parts, but also for the adrenalin rush that mixed itself in. At first the cloth would go missing from the tree along with the items, but after a few repeated visits, the cloth is left up and bits of food or other items would be left for him. Billy is happy for the food, and hopes the items are helpful.

Following the discovery of a cloth pinned to the same tree on multiple occasions with parts under it , Dell decides to let is stay, and put a few items out in exchange. He wanted to be fair to whomever is leaving behind the items. His mind grew more interested in the who of the matter, rather than the why. Setting up a few spare Mr. Handy eyes in the trees surrounding the tree with the cloth on it in such a way that they would not be easily spotted, Dell uses them to record events occurring in the area. Upon reviewing the footage, he had to admit that the person, wha appeared to be a teen, is rather quick on his feet.

'Dang. Hes passing right through the gaps of patrol with little trouble.' Dell mules over the strangeness of the teen. The kid appeared not to hold any ill intent toward him or his robots, not going to far into the patrolled territory, and he was leaving behind untampered items. Knowing he should not be so careful about strangers, but finding a internal bias brought by the usefulness of the items, Dell comes to a decision. He imuted the kids image into his robots as a neutral entity, only to be attacked if he started to attack them or Dell. Maybe being alone for so long is making him soft towards this odd teen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summer is here! Schools out, hurrah! Also it rained a lot around my home recently so...**

Rain slams downwards, running in thick streams on the roof of the house. The wind whipped violently through the trees, causing great groans to raise from the land. Thunder booms out after each blinding flash of lightning. Dell frowns at the weather from inside his home. While not worried for his robots, all of which were water proof, he is disappointed that he had not gotten more work done before the rainfall. It had been rather sudden, smack dab in the middle of the day with no warning. Not even a shift in the air temperature.

A loud beep from a monitor notes that one of his perimeter bots had detected an anomaly and wanted him to come and assist. This message differed from the ones he is used to, for it is not a warning of invading attackers. Glancing at the storm and then the monitor again, Dell feels his interest pushing him to head out. Throwing on his most rain resistant cloths over his typical day wear, the mechanic heads out, muttering under his breath about the foul weather.

Billy bolts through the rain, moving through the trees to get to the shack. This storm had come out of seemingly nowhere, destroying visibility and severely dampening Billy's spirits. His plans for scrap searching were quickly tossed out of the window when it had started. At least he had found some items before being forced to flee.

Water seeps into every inch of clothing he is wearing, even his socks, leading to a very miserable feeling runner. The earth beneath his shoes is unstable, an issue that is not at all helped by his impaired vision. His focus is split between making sure he does not slip and not running into trees. The last time he had been this terribly wet was when his fourth oldest brother had thrown him into an irradiated pond. The memory burns his eyes and heart as he recalls how the second youngest brother, Hunter, and David had both helped get him out. Then they had kept him alive through the use of the families limited supply of radaway. David had then made it his mission to teach him how to get away from the older boys and how to swim. A task made difficult by all available water sources big enough being irradiated.

Mentally distracted and with the terrible weather conditions, it is no wonder that he trips over a tree root and is sent flying. He skids along the ground, friction being hard pressed to slow him down in such unfortunate circumstances, until he slams into a hard surface. Now mud not only covered his shoes, but everything else as well. Wincing at the pain curling out from his back from the hard hit, he shifts slowly in the mud. He gives up for a moment, letting weariness fall over him as he listens to the rain. His brain pauses as he tries to understand why the rain is making a echoey pinging noise. Processing the sound, Billy turns, despite the pain in his back, to see what he had slammed into. The quick glance is enough to send him scrambling backwards. A sentry bot stares down at him and slowly advances as Billy retreats until his back collides with another object, this time it is a tree. He must have accidentally entered the patrolled territory, having not spotted the signs due to the weather. Billy flinches against the tree as the robot comes closer, finding that he has no routs to escape through.

'What a way to go. Dang it!'

The thing is practically on top of him when it halts its movements. It makes a whirring noise, staring down at him.

"Anomaly detected. Backup requested."

Billy freezes against the tree, closing his eyes tightly against oncoming death. Fear curls in his stomach, making him feel like time is crawling by slower than it should. Confusion flickers on the edges of his fear, but he refuses to open his eyes to see why the bot had not killed him yet.

"Hey back up sentry! Yer scaring the poor kid."

Billy cracks one eye open, peering through the thick rain to catch sight of the speaker. The robot obediently shifts backwards as the person comes forwards and squats at a distance in front of Billy. The runner recognizes the man as "Old Dell".

"You alright there, pardner?"

Billy nods his head and curls in a more defensive position. Rain continues to fall thick and fast, acting as a loud background noise to fill the silence. The other man moves slowly closer.

"It's too cold and wet for you to stayin out here. Come with me."

The man stands and holds out his hand. Billy tightens his protective ball further, gazing at the hand with an unbelieving look on his face. Nobody just helped for no discernible reason. So what is the reason? Maybe it is a repayment for him bringing items for the robots. Perhaps he should go with Dell.

Dell winces as the wind picks up, shoving the thick rain sideways, making it even colder. Knowing the kid might be unsettled by his offer, the inventor sighs but makes no more moves towards the teen. Scaring him off could end up with him running into someone less inclined to help him.

"It ain't gettin warmer out here, son."

The statement stirs the teen into action, with him grabbing Dell's hand to be aided in rising. Dell tugs him upwards then pushes him gently in the direction of his house. The kid hesitates with each step further towards the house. Mud drips off the teen, washed slightly away by the rain.

'Looks like a wet dog. Poor kid.'

Dell opens the door to his house when they reach it, letting the runner in first.

"Stand here and I'll get ya a change of clothes."

Upon entering the house it becomes obvious the teen is shivering violently. Dell grabs some older clothes that might fit the boy, turning away after handing them over. A brief moment later the kid is dressed in clothes too large for his slim frame. He had also removed his shoes and socks, standing barefoot on the concrete floor. Dell takes the all the wet items from the teen, except his duffle, which the runner laid against the wall himself. The borrowed clothing is large on the kids thin frame, hanging off it loosely.

"Danks man."

Dell nods then ushers the teen towards the fire pit in the center of the room. Gathering some wood, he adds it to the flames. The teen curls up on the floor beside the fire, tucking his knees into the overly large shirt and wraps his arms around them. He watches Dell as the older male moves around the inventor hangs the teen's clothes on the wall and stuffs the shoes with old newspaper to absorb the water. Then he sits down near the teen, trying not to get to close to him.

"So why were you out in such awful weather?"

"I wasn't expectin it. Kinda sudden."

The kid mumbles a little, the clicking of his teeth caused by shivers kept his words barely understandable.

"Why did da sentry bot not blow me up?"

"Oh that. I got you programmed as a neutral entity, mostly cause you keep dropin off those items. Would be a right shame for that to end in your termination."

The teen grins and laughs.

"I'd hate for it ta end in my "termination". Danks again."

"Don't worry too much over it pardner. Now, what's yer name then?"

"Billy."

"Dell. Pleased ta make yer acquaintance."

The inventor holds out his hand for a shake.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! I have a new chapter for those who have thus far. I hope you all enjoy the read!**

Billy snorts a little at the weirdness of the situation. Grabbing the hand and shaking it, he speaks.

"I know who you are."

"Still gotta reputation in town, have I? That were yer from?"

"Na. Mind if I don't tell ya? No offense, but dis is da first time I have met ya."

"No worries son, I get it. Pays ta be careful. Want somethin ta eat?"

The man grabs some bowls and then moves towards a pot that Billy had failed to notice when he had sat down. Nervously, the teen shifts in the clothing that is too large for him, coming to a decision on how to answer.

"Yes."

"Alrighty then. Here you go, Billy."

Dell passes him a bowl of stew, getting himself one as well. They eat in silence. Billy feels himself growing heavy in his eyelids as the warmth of the food and fire mixed. Not wanting to sleep in a place where the amount of danger is unknown, Billy attempts to stay awake by dragging his duffle bag over and fiddling with the wet cloth. He tries to focus on the bag, but finds a yawn popping up instead of the clear head he needs. His eyes turn back to Dell when he hears the man move. The inventor had picked up a guitar that he had in the room and slowly began to play it.

Billy falls asleep, unaware that he is doing so, a few seconds later. He slowly falls sideways, finally coming to rest on his side with his head on his duffle bag.

Dell throws a blanket over the sleeping teen, then moves off in the house to work on a broken Mr. Handy. Soon he is deeply involved in his work, time slipping as he tries to figure out what exactly is wrong and how to go about fixing it. Rain is still pounding against the roof hours into the process. He removes some faulty wiring and becomes aware of someone standing behind him. Looking over his shoulder he sees Billy, dressed in his own, now dry, clothes again, watching Dell work. Pulling over a large bucket that is flipped to act as a second stool, he gestures to it as a place for the teen to sit and watch. Which he does, in silence for a while, till he starts bouncing his right knee aggressively.

"Err, I should probably leave…"

"I don't suggest you leave quite yet, it's still rainin pretty heavily out there."

"Right."

The teen nods and returns to silence, which is obviously a difficult task for the kid. A few twitches from the teen, accompanied by worried glances to the stormy world outside, have Dell looking over at him with concern.

"Got somewhere ta be?"

"Yeah. I don't wanna worry my ma too much."

"While a noble intention,son, yer more likely to get hurt and permanently be unable ta return at her if yer plan is ta go runnin out in this mess."

"Yeah, I know. Whatcha workin on?"

Dell is pulled into a conversation as he works, trying to explain what he is doing to the curious teen who keeps asking questions. As the hours pass, the storm follows suit, leaving the new day with a clear morning.

"I got ta head out man. Danks, again, for the help."

Billy sighs, having enjoyed the last couple hours with Dell. Upon seeing the teen's sadness, the older male speaks up.

"You come back now, you hear? The robots ain't goin to cause you any trouble, unless you go around attacking them."

Billy grins as he grabs his stuff, slipping back on his socks and shoes.

"I'll be around. Later Dell!"

Then he runs, taking care with his steps on the extremely muddy earth. He passes by the sentry bot that had called Dell to help him, recognising it from the painted numbers 08 on its back and front. He pats it on his way, memorizing the number.

"Hey Dell!"

Billy yells as he races into the inventors area, bouncing on his feet in excitement. The older male comes out of his greenhouse and looks at the teen. It had been a few days since the rainy day interaction.

"Hello Billy. Where's the fire?"

The teen just grins and waves Dell over.

"Look, I found a really cool place for robot parts and wanted you ta have da first pick before I sell 'em."

"Robot parts? I'll take a look."

Billy puts down his duffle, opening it to reveal the parts within. Quietly Dell looks through them, picking bits that would be most useful for him, and advising Billy of the worth of others. Standing back up, he asks if Billy is okay with his selection. The response is a wave of his hand, paired with a smile. The mechanic then walks to his workshop and deposits the items. Then he returns to the teen.

"Say Billy, since you got me these parts what do you want in exchange?"

"You got anything ta eat that's fresh?"

"It wouldn't be fair ta you if I were ta give that in exchange. The parts are worth a pretty cap."

"Well, food is worth quite a bit to me, and your's is pretty good. Plus, dis is a repayment for your help. Dink of it as clearing my mind."

Dell shrugs, then nods as he moves to the cooking station that is located outside.

"It might take a bit ta finish it, but not long."

He opens the pot to reveal several pieces of meat stewing in an interesting looking sauce. Dell uses a utensil to check the meat, quickly confirming that it is done. He asks Billy to grab some plates from inside of his house. After both eat some of the meal, Billy speaks.

"This stuff is pretty good. What did ya put in it?"

The older man grins and shakes his head, declining to give up the secret.

"Aw come on man!"

The conversation turns as Dell asks Billy about how he had gotten the parts. Launching into a long winded explanation of the adventure, complete with hand gestures, only interrupted by eating the meal and questions from Dell. After finishing up, the teen notes the lateness of the day and stands to leave.

"Hey Dell, I ought to get a move on… Err, ya dink dere's a way for me ta bring my ma some of dis stuff? It tastes really good."

The inventor nods, going into his house to grab a container for the food. Billy holds it carefully, promising to return the container during his next visit.

"See ya later, son."

"See ya later Dell."

Billy takes off towards his shack. His ma enjoys the food, asking her son about the man whom he had gotten it from.


	6. Chapter 6

**I forgot to give the settlement a title. Opps? I'll just put it here and hope you guys forgive me.** **Urbis Risus, or just Risus. Sorry about the mistake. On to the story!**

A few days later, Billy runs to Dell's house, patting sentry 08 on the side as he passes. He finds the mechanic sitting outside in a lawn chair reading a thick novel in the shade of the trees. Dell looks up as he hears the approach, slipping a flat, torn sheet of paper into the book to mark his place. Billy at the novel with some interest, knowing that one in such good condition is rare.

"Good story dere Dell?"

"Yeah. Its decent enough for passing the time. You interested?"

Billy frowns and shifts on his feet. He would rather not admit to any weakness, especially to someone whose good opinion he was starting to want to hold.

"I don't generally read books. No time ta bother wid it."

Dell nods, but his eyes in slight suspicion. He stands and Billy opens his bag to allow the mechanic to call dibs on any of the items he had found. They had made a habit of trading food or other items for the things Dell decided to keep and use. After checking that Billy is okay with his choices, the inventor stores the parts as he normally does within his workshop. Upon his entering into the building, Billy lifts the book carefully, curiously inspecting the title to see if he could understand it. The letters are familiar although the order that made up the words is not. He recognizes two of the words, The and Great, but the last part makes no sense. Trying to figure it out, he fails to notice Dell come back out.

"Interested in it now, son?"

Billy jerks back in surprise. It takes up a large portion of his concentration to not drop the book in his startled state. Dell chuckles a little, noting the odd look of guilt on the runners face that is sliding into an expression on nonchalance.

"Na. Just couldn't remember if I've dis dird word before. What's it mean?

"That's Gatsby. As in the name of one of the focus characters of the book. He's an odd fellow."

Billy nods his head slightly, handing the book back, feigning indifference to the whole matter. Dell gives him some food and he heads out, not wanting to interact any more that day.

—-

Not to many days later Billy trots into Dell's robot patrolled territory. Upon reaching the engineers house, he realises that Dell is not here, with only a note to remark upon his absence. The teen stares at it, slowly getting the message that the older man is in town. Not wanting to go back to the shack quite yet, Billy finds the sentry bot number 08. Deciding to do something slightly stupid, he gives himself a few yards. Then he runs and leaps on the top of the bot, settling down with both legs hanging off the front. . It stalls in its patrol for a moment and then continues on.

"Inquiry. Why did you jump on this unit?"

"Cause I don't wanna be alone and you see like good company. Do you need me to get off?"

"Negative."

"Good."

Billy sits on top of the bot as it patrols, having a mainly one sided conversation with the robot. Topics shift as fluidly as his thoughts do, roaming rather quickly through multiple subjects. After an hour or two of running his mouth to Unit 08, Billy slips into sleep, slowly sliding forward into a hunched position on the sentry's shoulders. Dell returns a while later and wakes the teen with a loud greeting and his knuckles rapping on the side of the robot. Billy jerks awake then slowly gets off the sentry bot.

"Ey. Hows it goin?" Sleepiness drifts into his voice, slightly clouding it.

"As well as it can. Had to get some specific stuff for a project of mine and decided to strike while the iron was hot. Also had to remind people I'm not dead."

Billy nods, coupling it with a laugh, an glances around at the late hour.

"Sorry, Dell. I got ta get a move on if I want to get home without scaring ma."

"Right. See you some other time then?"

"See ya man."

After checking that his duffle and his bat are still secure on him, the teen bolts through the trees, ready to be with his ma.

—-

The first thing his mother says to him when he wakes up on the day they had decided to go into town is mildly annoying.

"Ya need a haircut William."

The teen sits up fully, running his right hand through the hair in question, silently pondering the use of such an action. Upon seeing his, his mother swipes her hand through the brown mess.

"Look, its coverin' ya eyes! I got a pair of scissors right here. Let me deal wid it before we go inta Risus."

He jumps up and away from her, shaking it into his eyes purposefully. He bounces away as she comes closer to him, brandishing her scissors.

"Nah. I don't dink it'll look any better wid you cuttin it."

"Billy! Get back here ya pest. Dont doubt my skills."

Billy continues to dance right beyond the reach of his mother, enjoying the amusement that is lighting up her face. Smiles had become rare for so long that the teen takes great delight in extending their stay. After a little more chasing and insults back and forth, Billy caves to his mother's request.

"Alright Ma. I let ya cut my hair. Jeez."

He stills and allows her to grasp his upper arm, a hold they both knew he could escape, but would not. The shorter woman pulls her son to a nearby stump, running her hand through his hair to remove the biggest tangles. She does pretty well, considering the lack of a comb. Then she cuts his hair, carefully making it shorter and succeeds in her attempt to make him look decent.

"There. Somedin else we don't hafta pay for."


	7. Chapter 7

Billy knows swinging on such an old swing is a bad plan full of poor thinking that is highly likely to end in disaster. But he had always found that it is a good way to escape the world for a bit and become weightless. So after finding a swing set in an broken park on the edge of the prewar city, he came to use it when ever he is being bothered by something and running does not quiet solve it.

Billy curls his hand around the metal links, pushing his feet back and forth, silently going over the argument he had just had with his mother. She thought that she should be able to travel to town with our him as an escort. Billy did not agree and they yelled at each other before she threw something at him and traveled to Risus alone anyways. He should have followed, thinks Billy. He closes his eyes to try and push the thoughts away, starting to swing faster and higher. Keeping is eyes closed, the runner focuses on nothing but the feeling of air swishing over his face. He ignores everything else in a desperate attempt to hide from the guilt he feels for yelling at his mom. This concentration causes him not to hear the groan of the chain and then the fierce crack. The speed that he had been going causes him to fling backwards forcing his eyes to snap open at the sudden swift feeling of free falling. Plain flares across his left side as gravity forces him to become familiar with the ground. His brain barely registers his change of location before he cries out loudly, clutching his right hand over his left wrist. Billy makes no more movements, finding that the pain flares fiercely if he does so. He works hard to quiet himself, mentally reminding himself of the dangerous nature of being caught injured in the wasteland alone. Despite his attempts, it seems that someone had heard him and were coming towards him, if the footsteps were any indication.

Misha stares at the teen laying on the ground, raising an eyebrow at the broken swing that is still moving. He is a couple of feet away, pausing as he hears the younger male try to stifle his cries. Misha glances backwards were he had last seen Ludwig, hoping to find the doctor so that he could wave him over to the teenager. They had both heard the initial sound and had split up to search the area quicker. He waves the man over, after he catches the doctors attention, indicating the boy on the ground. THe young male appeared to not have a gun, only a baseball bat for a weapon. Ludwig approaches the boy first, being the less intimidating of the two at first glance. The teenager struggles upwards and tries to stand, moving away from Ludwig.

"Who are you?"

"I am Ludvig. Zis is Misha."

Ludwig waves his hand over his shoulder at the larger man. The teen stares at both of them with a worried expression. He calms a little when he sees they are not wearing the typical raider gear.

"My names Billy."

Ludwig nods and pulls out his medical bag, separating it from the rest of his traveling pack.

"I vant to make a deal vith you. I'll check you for injury and heal you, and you take use to the nearest town and you don't have to pay me any caps."

Billy pauses for a few seconds then nods his head in agreement to the deal. Ludwig closes in on the teenager, poking at the hurting areas that Billy indicates and determines that there are no breaks in the bone. He wraps the left wrist, telling the teenager that it might be a while before it will stop hurting with every movement and that he should avoiding doing too much with the wrist. Billy stands with the aid of Misha, moving away from the large man nervously afterwards. Then Billy begins to lead them to Risus. It is a long walk that takes the group most of the day. This travel time allows for Billy to grow more comfortable around the two and begins to talking about the surrounding area.

"Ya got to be careful when walking through the forest that is a two days walk west of Risus. A guy named Dell lives out that way with a ton of killer robots. He's not bad himself, but if the robots see a stranger they are freakin' dangerous. The raider gang to the north, the Rattlers, can be a bit annoying if ya travel near 'em."

Billy continues on describing shops and major areas of interest within a few days travel from the town. Misha silently notes the location of dangers while Ludwig notes where Billy says the best deals for certain items are.

"Ya ain't goin' to be able ta get all medical gear at one place dough."

Ludwig looks at the teenager questioningly, voicing his confusion.

"Vhy not?"

"Da town doesn't have a stationary doc."

The teenager shrugs, shifting his duffle bag to a more comfortable position.

When they arrive in town, Billy leads the two men to the inn and pays for their room for the first night, resisting Misha trying to pay him back for the room.

"Hope to see ya guys later!"

The next day, the two walk around town asking the locals questions on things Billy had not filled them in on. Misha agrees with Ludwig when the doctor says that it looked like a good place to settle, especially noting the empty role of town doctor. With the caps they had saved together while on the road, they buy a two story house on the edge of town and set up a medical practice. Billy visits on the days that he comes into town with his mother.


	8. Chapter 8

Mundy breathes deeply, staring down the scope at the target he is getting 1500 caps for. A raider leader, who, from the view of his client, had been endangering the gang by moving them too far to the south towards the settlement, Risus. His client is the second in command of the gang, which had sought Mundy out for his skill. The client wanted to take over the gang and pull them back to a lower risk area. Mundy track his target as he walks across a rooftop across and below his own position. He had been observing this gang, the Rattlers, for a little over a week to determine what the best way to do this kill. He noted how large and organised the raiders were in this gang compared to others that he had seen. They had held a large portion of the city ruins and it is somewhat well fortified. Fortified enough for him to have to spend time finding a building that will give him a decent angle.

He refocuses, checking around the for any witnesses. None. Good. He would have a bit longer to escape after the shot. He lines it up, breaths, in, out, and pulls the trigger. Boom. Headshot. He throws his stuff together and moves out of the building, hurrying to the western areas of the ruins were the Rattlers had no hold. He travels to an agreed meeting point on the roof of a decently tall building. As he moves, he keeps an eye on structures around him for hostile snipers.

Mundy enters the building where he would wait till nightfall for his pay. If it is not delivered, he would be shooting the man owed him. That's just how things work in the wasteland. Resting on the roof, Mundy watches the street below.

He hears the slamming of hurried feet from the empty expanse of pavement beneath him a while later. The midday sun stare down at the world. The sniper looks towards the sound. A teenager in a dirty, worn, orange hoodie is moving down the street, quickly entering a broken shop in the building across from Mundy. The stranger remains in the building for a stretch of time, with no evidence of his existence apart from a few sounds of louder movement every once in a while. The teenager leaves the building after a long period, twirling a baseball bat. The duffle bag slung across his back looks significantly fuller. He then dashes away.

Towards nightfall the client comes and pays Mundy the half of the money he had not paid up front. He also invites Mundy to join the gang, which the sniper declines politely. Mundy then moves further west in the city ruins. He camps for a few days, spotting the teenager running through the streets collecting things on several different occasions. The teenager never got close enough to be a real threat to Mundy, so the sniper had no reason to interact with him.

Hearing fighting in the left over ruins of the old world is not a strange occurrence. Echoes of gunfire are as common as the creaking of crickets in a field at night. Billy knows this and that he should avoid the source of the sounds. This plan had kept him out of spats within the destroyed city. But sometimes the fight were taking place in areas he had to pass through and he could not avoid them. This brings him to his current situation.

Billy frowns as he hears single shots with no apparent returning fire directly afterwards. Someone fighting alone? Perhaps. Billy halts his run and drops behind a car as he spots a mob of feral ghouls around the base of a tall building. This building is where the shots are coming from. Shifting in his crotch, he tries to push himself away from the unfair battle. It is none of his concern, absolutely none. But, the person appeared to be alone; stuck in an impossible position. Billy slowly pulls his baseball bat from his back, weighing it in his hands. With a roll of his eyes at himself, Billy leaps from behind the car. Whacking the first ghoul he comes across, Billy howls out his brothers signature war cry.

He bashes in the heads of the irradiated feral beings, avoiding their flailing arms. Happily he notes the amount of ghouls had gone down significantly. The shooter had thankfully seen Billy's help for what it is and has yet to shoot the teenager. The unknown person even shot ghouls coming from behind Billy. When the battle is done, Billy waves to the top of the building where the shots had come from. Deciding to see if the other person would come out, he begins to crouch and pilfer through the bodies of the dead ghouls for items. His patience is rewarded by a lanky man appearing in the doorway of the building. Billy rocks on the balls of his feet, slightly nervous.

"Hey."

Billy watches the man carefully, trying to gage how his words are taken. This task proves to be difficult as the stranger is wearing sunglasses and a green bandana around the bottom half of his face. The man starts moving towards Billy, making the runner tense slowly.

"'Ello. I'm Mundy. Thanks for ya help."

Billy immediately relaxes and stands up to face Mundy.

"Your welcome. I'm Billy."

"I see ya run through here often enough. Nice to make ya acquaintance."

"Nice ta meet you. This circumstance is a bit extreme though."

Billy laughs a bit at the end of his statement. Mundy snorts and starts moving through the ghouls corpses to loot them. Billy returns to looting, taking care to stay out of the man's way. They might be in a friendly truce situation, but that could easily shift at any slight offence, or that is Billy's experience anyways.

Mundy glances at the teen who had introduced himself as Billy. The helped seemed to have come without any real strings. Probably the kid had helped to be able to pilfer the bodies. Mundy focuses back down at the ghoul he is checking, quirking an eye at the caps he finds in its pocket.

"Kid, let me buy you a drink."

The teen shakes his head.

"Sorry, town's in the other direction of where Im heading."

"Ah well, I own you one then."

The teenager nods and starts to leave with a farewell thrown over his shoulder.

Mundy travels to the south to Risus and stays there for a few days, restocking his supplies and selling extra junk he happens to have to those willing to take it. He sees Billy again on the day he had planned to leave town. The teen is walking next to a woman who is older than him, both with slight smiles.

"'ey , Billy!"

Billy turns and sees Mundy. He waves and the woman pushes him slightly, whispering something to the teenager. Billy turns with incredulous face to which the woman responds by slapping him on the arm. Billy side hugs her and then walks over to Mundy.

"Yo."

"So, who was that fine lookin' sheila?"

"Ey! Thats my ma, ya creep! Eyes off."

Billy punches him in the arm as the sniper laughs at the teenagers reddened face.

"Alright. Hey, I still you a drink, right kiddo."

"Not a kid. But yeah, ya said that ya owe me. Ya dont by the way."

"Sure I do. Come on.

"Alright, but no talkin' bout my ma."

Mundy waves a hand in the air, dismissing the topic. They walk to the inn/bar and Billy gets the least alcoholic drink. Their conversation stays away from Billy's mom, but it does cover a few topics between them. Mundy talks about his profession and they swap travel stories.

Billy's mom shows up a few hours later and collects her son, trading polite greetings with Mundy. After they leave, a small farm owner, who lives south west of Risus comes up to Mundy with a job. The farmer wants to hire Mundy to kill off a nesty of mirelurks near the farm. Mundy agrees, haggling over the price with the farmer. The sniper ends up staying in the area for a while working small jobs and building up a reputation.


	9. Chapter 9

Billy hums quietly as he travels through the waste land alone. Dell had asked him to go to Sanity, a town to the south east of Risus, to pick up something he had purchased that was being brought in by a caravan. He would be doing this journey himself, but one of his robots is malfunctioning in a way that needs all of his attention to fix. Billy had accepted the mission happily, taking the caps and the holding order with him. The trip from Risus to Sanity would typically take three days with rest a night to complete, but Billy on his own could complete the journey in one and a half days. He had already traveled for almost a full day, with hints of night starting to darken the sky.

The runner slows his pace as he begins to look for an abandoned place that would be safe enough to sleep in. His run decelerates to a steady walk, his eyes scanning the landscape around him. He hears a loud yell from close by, moving straight towards his location. Billy starts moving backwards as a man dressed in old army fatigues and a oversized helmet leaps from behind some rubble with a shovel, screaming. Jerking his bat off his back, Billy brings it to his front to block the heavy swing of the shovel. He twirls around the figure, ducking benieth a viscous swing aimed at his head.

"Come here you maggot!"

Billy leaps backwards and tightens his hands around his bat. The helmeted man charges him with a fierce yell. Billy responds with his brothers signature war howl, sidestepping the charge, and smashing his bat down on the top of the figure. The attacker fall giving Billy the time to move away before the man gets back up and charges him again. The man rushes towards Billy, swinging his shovel wildly, screaming. Billy howls again leaping up on the nearby rubble an using the momentum from leaping back down to bash the helmet again. The man falls and starts to rise again a few seconds later only to be interrupted by a new voice.

"Solly, ya better have ah reason for attacking'' the wee laddie. Or so help me, I'll do what the war was never able ta."

A darker skinned man who has one eye covered by an eye patch comes running up to the combatants.

"This is an invader!"

The attacker, named Solly, shouts from the ground. Billy shifts his defensive stance, glancing at the new person then back at his attacker.

"Solly, yer as dumb as ye are old. Sorry laddie. This idiot will attack anyone."

The new man walks up to Billy and holds out a hand in a friendly gesture. Billy lowers his stance, taking the offered hand.

"Names Tavish. Yer's is…?"

"Billy."

"So, laddie do hope yer not here to try and rob us. Else I'd be mighty sorry for tellin' Solly to stop."

"Nah. I'm just passin' through ta get ta Sanity."

"Travelin' in the dark isn't the safest yeh know."

"Yah. I was goin' to find someplace ta stay. Don't need to be told it's dangerous."

Billy grins jokingly as he slides his bat back into its normal place on his back. Solly rises and moves to stand beside Travish. Billy notes for the first time that the helmeted mane is a ghoul.

"Well as part of a apology fer Solly's behavior, why not stay the night at my farm.'

Solly crosses his arms, struggling a little with his shovel.

"I will not let this maggot sleep under the same roof as me. I bet he is a commie in disguise."

"You can sleep outside if it bothers you. Come on laddie."

Tavish turns around and starts walking. Billy follows, with Solly bringing up the rear. Solly mutters quietly to himself.

The farm has a decent amount of land covered in the usual wasteland crops. A well is situated near the house, the sole provider for the farms water. Tavish walks into the building, leading Billy to a couch, offering it to him as a bed for the night. Billy accepts.

"Danks man. So what Solly's deal?"

Tavish laughs an sits down in a chair that is positioned near the couch. The ghoul in question id outside in the dark, having made some off comment about patrolling.

"Solly comes from before the bombs. He fought against the Chinese, though I dunno if he was actually accepted into the army. As far as I've been able to glean from his stories, he was sent home before the bombs fell. Those things didn't kill him, but the radiation turned him into a ghoul. He claims to have punched one of the bombs. I don't believe him. I met him a while back when he got himself inta a wee scuffle with some deathclaws that live nearby."

"A wee scuffle?"

Billy makes a face of confused disbelief as he says this. Tavish laughs.

"Yeah. He might've been fine, given a couple o' hours, but I happened across the secen and decided to toss some grenades and mines inta the mix to help 'im. Now I'm stuck with the crazy ghoul, who owes me a self proclaimed life debt. That pretty much sums up our relations. So what's your story for being out here, traveling alone, boyo?"

"I'm runninn' an errand for a friend. He needs somedin from Sanity, but couldn't make the journey himself 'cause somdin popped up."

Tavish nods and rises from his seat.

"Well good night. I cannae promise you that Solly won't bother you tonight, however, he will not harm you."

Billy nods and stifles a yawn. After Tavish exits the room, Billy falls asleep.

In the early hours of the day, Billy awakens with an uneasy feeling in his gut. He peeks from beneath his eyelids to scan his surroundings, only to discover Solly standing over him over him, staring intensely down at him. He jerks upwards with a yelp, grasping his baseball bat in his hands after snatching it from the floor. Solly huffs and seems to asses Billy. Noding to himself, the ghoul walks away. The teenager watches him go, a bit unnerved by the whole affair. Billy rises from where he had been sleeping and follow the ghoul outside. The ex-soldier travels to the back of the house were a group of mutated raccoons with three tales are resting. They perk up at the sight of Solly and start chittering. The ghoul leans down and tosses them some food from his pockets. Billy slips into a crouch and watches the creatures with interest.

"These are some of the finest soldiers in existence. I would know, I trained them !"

Billy decides not to question the statement and slowly shifts, opening his duffle bag.

"Do da finest soldiers in existence like sugar bombs?'

Solly turns and looks at him, seeming to to think over the offer. Suddenly a large, insane looking smile covers Solly's face as he nods.

"Affirmative."

Billy pulls out the box, sliding from a crouch to sit fully on the ground. He tosses sugar bombs to the odd raccoons, who shitter and squabble with each other over the trest. Some climb onto his person to get closer to the source of food and for petting.

"So you survived the radcoons."

Billy tilts his head back to look at Tavish.

"Is dat good?"

Solly pipes up.

"It is good! These soldiers can smell a commie traitor from a mile away! The fact that they have not killed you on sight means that you can be trusted."

Tavish snorts and settles on the ground beside the two. A few of the radcoons climb on him. THey all sit surrounded by the furry creatures in silence for a few minutes. Billy carefully removes the radcoons sitting on him, putting the now empty sugar bomb box back into his duffle.

"I gotta head to town now. Danks for lettin' me spend da night. Ya guys need anyding from Sanity?

Tavish gently removes the raccoons sitting on him and stands.

"Nah. Thanks for the offer laddie, but we're fine. Feel free ta rest 'ere on yer way back home. If the radcoons like you, you cannae be too awful. There finicky wee beasties."

"Alright den. Danks. Bye guys.'

Billy leaves the farm and arrives in Sanity a while later. It is a larger town than Risus, with much better defenses. Trade comes to it from both upstream and downstream of the river it is stationed beside. He finds his way to the merchant who has Dell's desired item,, shows the certificate of purchase, gives the caps, and safely stores the item in his duffle. He wanders the town of a bit, getting a feel for the stores incase he wanted to sell here later on. He travels home, stopping again a Tavish and Solly's farm.


	10. Chapter 10

Billy leaves his mom bartering at a store, knowing that she would do better than he could ever dream of doing. He travels to where Ludwig and Misha had moved into a week back. He had visited them the last that he came into town and was impressed with how fast they had set up the practice. He enters through the door, peeking around the room in curiosity. The place is rather neatly set up comparative to most of the shops in the area and is cleanish. Billy wanders further in, deciding to call for the owners.

"Ludwig? Misha? You guys here?"

He hears stomping from up stairs, then Misha enters the front room of the shop.

"Hello leetle Billy. Nice to see you."

"'Ey Misha. How are ya?"

"I am fine. You?"

"I'm fine. Where's Ludwig?"

"He is on roof. Come."

Billy follows Misha as he climbs the stairs. They enter the second floor and climb another set of stairs to reach the roof. On the roof there is a aviary with three birds inside of it. Ludwig is sitting beside the cage humming lowly as the birds eat. Misha speaks.

"Ludwig, Billy is here."

The man looks up at them and finishes feeding the birds and walks over. He smiles dreamily looking back at the cage.

"Zey are beautiful birds."

Billy nods in agreement.

"How'd you get 'em?"

Ludwig turns his eyes away from the birds to focus on the two males standing on the roof with him.

"Zey were injured by vild dogs a few days back. I am vorking on healing zem and I am going to train zem."

Billy nods and cheerfully pats Ludwig on the back.

"Good luck wid dat Doc. So you guys are likin' it here?"

"Da. This is nice town. Very small."

Misha smiles, gesturing to the surrounding buildings of Risus. Then he frowns.

"But, where do you live?"

Billy blinks at the question.

"What?"

Misha looks at him intently and Ludwig joins his stare.

"Oh, I live wid my ma out west of here."

"It is dangerous to live in small group out in wasteland."

Misha comments.

"We're fine. Jeez. I can protect my ma."

"Ve are not saying zat you can't. Ve are merely concerned."

Billy shoves down the aching at being reminded that his family is now small. Memories of his brothers dieing are also pushed viciously away. Billy kicks his feet along the roof venting a little of his inner emotional sadness and anger.

"Danks for the concern, but we're fine."

He emphasizes the last word, then looks down. Misha frowns in concern at the teenagers downturned face. Billy glance back up and gives both men a half grin. Then he peers over the edge of the building to the street below, his face turning into a real smile. He rushes back into the building, down the stairs, and into the front room. Ludwig follows with Misha not too far behind, both knowing that Billy had hidden something from them.

Mundy scans the building he had been told housed the resident doctor. He needed some supplies before attempting his next job, which is particularly dangerous. He enters the shop only to be greeted by a beaming Billy.

"'Ey Mundy! I thought ya were plannin' ta leave Risus by now!"

"Nah. Decided ta stick around kiddo."

Mundy is slightly surprised at the happiness the teenagers seems to have at his presence. He had experienced very few occasions where people were glad to see him. Ruffling the kid's hair after snatching his hat, Mundy laughs at the indignant face Billy makes. Two sets of footsteps alert the sniper that they have company entering the room. Mundy hands Billy his cap back, shifting his eyes to watch the two newcomers from behind his tinted glasses. The room becomes twense as the newcomers catch sight of Mundy.

"Hallo. I am Ludvig ze owner of zis shop. Are you here to buy?"

"Yeah. I'm lookin' for some medical gear and was told that this is the place to come for it."

"Ja. Zat is correct."

Ludwig speaks cooly and a bit warily. It is not in a threatening manner, but it is not friendly either. This is what he is used to when interacting with others. Having his eyes covered with tinted glasses and the lower half of his face hidden under a dark green tened to put people on edge.

"Lighten up Doc, dis is my friend Mundy."

Ludwig gazes at Billy, quirking an eyebrow at the teenager. The second man, whose identity is unknown to Mundy, walks over to him and whacks the sniper on the back. Mundy loses his breath for a minute.

"Hello! I am Misha. Any friend of Billy's is my friend."

Ludwig sighs and rolls his eyes. He relaxes his tense muscles and extends a hand out for a shake. Mundy shakes the offered hand.

"So vat are you looking for?"

Billy moves backwards, pulling himself up to sit on the counter. He smiles at everyone in the room. His joyful energy, and his friendly introduction of Mundy, make the atmosphere of the shop lighten. Mundy replies to Ludwigs question.

"I'm looking for stimpacks, Radaway and Rad-x."

The two barter back and forth and are both satisfied with the outcome. Mundy carefully tucks his supplies away.

"G'day."

Mundy tips his hat as he leaves to store. Billy gets up and says his own goodbyes before rushing to join with Mundy. He catches up to the sniper and starts talking with him.

 **Hi there! I just wanted to say this story has little direction, no plot, and has been generally unitresting to me. I have no more of it typed up. I have some tiny ideas scrawled down in a notebook, but as far as things go, this is it. Unless, someone really, really, really, wants to see more. Which then I would be happy to be pmed about! Or if you want to run with this idea, feel free. As with all my stories, I don't care if others base their story on an idea that they find here. I'd like to know about it, mostly from a personal desire to read more fanfiction's with similar topics. Thanks for reading this odd crossover. And this weird note tacked onto the end.**


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